Bomb scare in Kittery a false alarm

KITTERY, Maine — An unattended duffel bag, which later turned out to be filled with dirty laundry, prompted a massive response from state and local law enforcement Friday afternoon.

Charles McMahon

KITTERY, Maine — An unattended duffel bag, which later turned out to be filled with dirty laundry, prompted a massive response from state and local law enforcement Friday afternoon.

The dark blue duffel bag was left next to the Memorial Bridge shuttle stop at the corner of Hunter Avenue and Water Street, in the area of Warren's Lobster House.

The initial report of the “suspicious” bag came in shortly after noon, said Kittery Interim Police Chief Ted Short.

The Kittery police and fire departments responded to scene and formed a perimeter around the bag, closing a portion of Route 1 and Government Street as well as the John Paul Jones park. Emergency responders also evacuated residents in the immediate area.

A member of the Maine State Police Explosives Ordinance Division was also called in from Augusta to assist in the investigation.

Short said despite there being a small likelihood that the bag was in fact dangerous, authorities could not take any chances.

“In light of the recent occurrences in Boston, we need to be a little bit more cautious when dealing with these things,” Short said.

Several hours later around 4 p.m., a Maine State Police explosives specialist arrived on scene and inspected the unattended bag wearing only a vest.

At around the same time, a person arrived on scene claiming she was the owner of the duffel bag.

Chrystal Ryan, 40, of Portland, told reporters after authorities cleared the scene that she had been waiting for the shuttle bus when she realized that she had left something behind in the hotel room she was staying at the night before.

Ryan said instead of carrying the heavy bag with her on the walk back to the hotel she decided to leave it at the shuttle stop.

“I thought it would be safe here,” she said.

Upon retrieving her belongings at the hotel, Ryan said she decided to stop by a nearby convenience store for some coffee and to hang out for a while.

It wasn't until she returned to the shuttle stop hours later that she realized what had taken place.

“I'm so embarrassed,” Ryan said after realizing the massive response she caused by leaving her bag unattended for so long.

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